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Renault Megane in general

DOOYOO IS SHIT DOOYOO IS SHIT DOOYOO IS SHIT DOOYOO IS SHIT DOOYOO IS SHIT DOOYOO IS SHIT DOOYOO IS SHIT DOOYOO IS SHIT DOOYOO IS SHIT DOOYOO IS SHIT DOOYOO IS SHIT DOOYOO IS SHIT DOOYOO IS SHIT DOOYOO IS SHIT DOOYOO IS SHIT DOOYOO IS SHIT DOOYOO IS

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Reliable, fuel efficient car

After previously owning an older version of the Fiat Punto, i bought I Renault Megane Authentique, and although only slightly younger than the Fiat Punto, the Renault is what can only be described as a spaceship in comparison. With it's electric windows, CD player and ignition at the touch of a button, you wouldn't believe that you can buy one of these second hand for less than £5000.

What I love about this car is all the little things that make your life just that little bit easier, like the fact that you cannot start the car in gear unless you have your foot on the clutch, or the way that it tells you exactly how many miles worth of fuel you have left in your tank.

The safety standard of this car is very highly rated, with airbags in the side of the front seats as well in front, and a very well protected boot panel (as I recently found out when someone crashed into the back of it), it's easy to see why it is rated so highly. The middle seatbelt is a standard 3-point seatbelt instead of a lap-belt like in most cars.

So why does this car remind me of a spaceship specifically? The handbreak! I don't know of any other cars (or haven't seen any so far) that have such a unique handbreak, it is what can only be described as a spaceship-like lever that gives you better grip when putting on and taking off your handbreak.

The car is spacious and reliable and is fuel efficient and I can't think of any reasons why not to love it.

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A curse...not a car!

I have the misfortune to own a Renault Megane and I can't warn people off enough.

I got it 6 years ago and can't sell because there's always something wrong with it (windows, internal lights, locks at the moment!).

I bought it because my Dad was banging on about the safety features. He and my mum owned a Laguna and they were forever going on about how safe it was - so against my better judgement I bought a Renault.

The first few months were all plain sailing (although I was moving house and the car not moving with the boot open was annoying - I've since found out how to turn this feature off), but my parents car started to go seriously wrong during this time!

The air pressure sensor told my mum that all the tires were fully inflated for about 10 miles on a motorway while she was trying to figure out why the ride was soooo bumpy. If something like a sensor isn't working surely the default should be to alert a problem, rather than assume everything's ok?

My mum and dad were lucky enough to ditch their car just after that (switching to a boring & reliable Ford), leaving me with the curse that is the Megane! First the interal locks stopped working. In to Renault to fix - which they sort of did.

3 months later the cover for the key (it's keyless entry) started coming off - probably due to the fix they'd done on the other locks. Kerching to Renault!

Next the engine blows on the Motorway! £3000 - Kerching. The windows stop working (they do every couple of months) - Kerching. The sunroof - Kerching, The internal lights (new battery at £120 before they figured that one out!) - Kerching, Kerching, Kerching!!!

NEVER EVER AGAIN!

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A great car and one that has definitely made me a Renault fan

Three years ago we bought a Renault Megane Authentique 1.4 second hand, a 2006 registration. It cost us £4500 and I do not regret a single penny of that. The Megane drives like a dream, eventhough it is only a 1.4 engine, I have had many people ask me whether it was a 1.6, as it has great pulling power. It can pull away quickly and can keep pace at high speeds with no problems.

When it comes to servicing, I have spent very little on this car, other than replacing the cambelt earlier this year (due to the recommended mileage for changing it), this car has needed very little in terms of maintenance. But, all cars do come with a problem or two, no matter how small, it is always worth a mention. I have experienced the following problems, which I now know is common with the Meganes:

1. Head lights need replacing a little more often than other cars, this is due to a little water getting into the electrics. Replacing a Megane headlight is also not very easy and if you are not confident doing this in an easier car, you might need to make use of a mechanic or a fitting centre like Halfords.

2. Window motors, this I have heard from everyone I know that has a Megane or a friend with a Megane. My driver side electric window failed a few months ago and works occasionally, but when you roll the window down, you are never sure whether you will be able to close it again. Unfortunately this comes with a hefty price tag of around £300 to fix (2012 quote).

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New in December, the car handles well and is quite comfortable but not very good on economy at around 38 mpg. unleaded. The low fuel warning light comes on all too often it seems. Gears take some getting used to and it is all too easy to slip from 6th to 3rd when you were aiming for 5th gear. Surprisingly noisy engine above 60 mph and sounds a bit strained. Overall the car is ok with lots of storage space and a huge boot but may benefit from parking sensors front and back as there is a lot of car each end beyond the line of sight. On board navigation system is very good but updates run out after three months and it then costs £55 each year for live updates.

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Nice looking economical car but when they go wrong, they go very wrong!

I brought a Renault Megane 1.5DCI on a 2003 plate when I discovered I was pregnant with my first child. I wanted a new-ish car suitable for a family with style, but I also wanted the car to be practical, cheap to run, insure and tax. (Not asking for much hey?) I also didn't have a lot to spend, so the Megane seemed perfect for us as they only seem to cost between £1500 and £2500 to buy. When I found out the 1.5DCI Megane was ONLY £30 to tax for a whole year I was convinced.

I absolutely loved my Megane. It did 60MPG. It was roomy inside, and the boot was big enough for our big bulky pushchair. The seats were comfortable. The back seats have isofix fittings for a baby seat. Lots of storage space. Not to forget the 5* NCAP rating, air conditioning, key card and push start button. (Made me feel like James Bond every time I started the car!) Also very nice to drive. When driving it, it made me feel very safe.

Everything was good, until everything started to go wrong. To start with the electrics failed. The boot wouldn't open. Then the back door wouldn't open from the outside. Then the rear light. Then the front light. Then the windows. This was a pain, and cost a BOMB to sort out. The whole car needed to be rewired.

Next, the turbo. The turbo went BANG. I had a brand new one fitted, which was also very expensive. But that wasn't all. Apparently the 1.5DCI engines have A LOT of problems! The turbo blowing caused by head gasket to also blow, which ruined the pistons. I had to fork out over £1000 to get a new engine and over £500 to get new injectors, diesel pump and turbo second hand! The parts were all very expensive and also very hard to get hold of as they are so sought for!

I wouldn't recommend buying a Renault Megane 1.5DCI unless you have warranty. When they go wrong, they go very wrong!

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Solid reliability, comfortable, good MPG, expensive to maintain

I own a 54 plate 1.4 Petrol Megane Hatch. The first thing to notice is the key design: funky and cool using a card rather than a traditional key, it garners interest. The key is inserted into a slot, and a single button starts the engine. Newer models have keyless ignition wherby the key merely needs to be in the vicinity of the car.

Once in the driving position the cabin is roomy with sufficient headspace for taller drivers. The seat is fully adjustable for height and recline, as is the steering wheel. Lumbar support is good, even on long journeys.

The dials up front are large and clear, with the on board computer offering trip, MPG, fuel consumed and range.

Ride is smooth yet responsive. Steering is light, sometimes very light. The clutch is easy to use and brakes sensitive without being too sharp.

Wear and tear is not exceptional, but is expensive to maintain. Lightbulbs are not generally user replaceable, as the access is acquired through a blanking cap under the wheel arch. Likewise, the battery is covered by a plastic cover that can only be removed by an allen key.

Boot space is good, with plenty of space for golf clubs or shopping.

Rear footroom is adequate but not exceptional.

MPG is good at 37-40Mpg depending on driving style. I have been able to get 45 on long motorway journeys.

Overall a solid hardworking car, but expensive to maintain. Not recommended for new drivers or those on lower incomes, as the upkeep is not cheap.

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Feature packed car, good value for money

I recently purchased a used 04 plate Megane (the now old shape); mainly becasue of the vast array of features present compared to cars of a similar age and size. With the promises of air con, trip computer, heated screens, 'follow me home' headlights and other such features, this seemed like to good an opportunity to miss.

However, this plethora of electronics has lived up to the reputation of French electronic reliability. For example: electric window faliures (apparently a common problen; and despite the lack of a recall Renault pay 75% to repair them, equating to around £50 a time), keycard issues (this age Megane doesn't have an actual key as such), and starting issues related to a faulty wiring connection from the start button.

Despite these issues, they have been more of a practical inconvinence than a financial one - the car is actually quite cheap to run. In contrast to my previous, smaller engined car (1.2 Corsa), I spend around £10 less a month on petrol (I cover around 1,000 miles).

This car is, in fact, a delight to drive. It is basically glued onto the road, and despite being a 1.4, is still quite responsive to the throttle. In summary, a nice, cheap drive, with a bunch of unreliable flashy buttons and gadgets.

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Great fun while it lasts

The Renaultsport Megane 225 is the hottest version of the big-bottomed French hatchback! The 225 is so named due to the power output of its engine, a 2 litre 4-pot turbo producing around 225 BHP.Starting with looks, the Megane in all its forms is an acquired taste, with the 'shaking that ass' advertised rear end. My neighbour said to me when he first saw it, 'get rid of that ugly thing'. To me, though, the rear end is wide, squat and with the twin centre exit exhaus: rally car mean looking - like I say, it's the marmite of the car world - you either love it or hate it.The 225 comes with either 5 spoke 18" alloys, that look OK, or the Cup multispoke alloys, that look so much better. The front end of the 225 also has a 'meaner look' with the fogs at the front bulging out, and the turbo intercooler behind a large grill.As with all Meganes, it has a card instead of a key, and some cars had the optional keyless entry, as well as the standard push-button start.Inside, the Megane has decent seats, and a good spec, with cruise control (with the most strangely located cruise switch down to the right of the steering wheel, near your knees!), steering wheel controls for stereo, and one touch electric windows and folding mirrors. The interior is not the best design, and wears very quickly, which indicates it is fairly cheap stuff in comparison to it's rival but more expensive hot hatches like the Focus ST, Astra VXR and Golf Gti. Seats and trim on doors wears very quickly, making the car look older and more tired than it should.But, the Renaulsport Megane 225, isn't about comfort, and if you have the optional Cup Pack or Cup Chassis pack, you had best book in for regular chiropractor appointments if you're getting on a bit! It might be light on comfort, but a Cup chassis engineered by Renaultsport is a mighty set up, and on the road, but most deinately on a track with decent, level tarmac, it will embarass many a supercar around the corners, and the 4 pot Brembos up front will stop it well too.In a straight line it is quick too, with 60 in just under 6.5 seconds, and apparently it'll do 150.It is no accident that the fastest FWD car around the Nurburgring is a Megane - albeit on road legal slicks and fairly stripped out (the R26R). Servicing costs can be very high, with cambelts (which are due at 5 years) coming in at over £1k at renault, £700 indpenedent; rear brake discs have integral hubs and will set you back £150 for the pair, with fronts similar price - so bear this in mind if buying.In essence, the Megane 225 on the road, feels like a go-kart and urges you to throw it around corners all the time, and if that is what you want then it's perfect and a lot cheaper than other hot hatches - you can pick the older 2005 ones now for £5k+. If you want refinement and comfort, you'll do better with the Focus or Golf.

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overall loved this car and would definatly buy another.

I owned a megane for 3 years and loved it. It was the extreme model. It had connections to play your ipod or mp3 player through your radio, and was neatly hidden in the glove box. It was my first car and i found it easy to drive. It was spacious for a 3 door car, and wasnt to hard on fuel consumption. The seats were really comfortable to me, as i have back problems it was good for long journeys. My partner also liked driving it as he is a bit of a boy racer and he says it handled really well. The onboard computer told you oil level, fuel level and fuel consumption which was a real bonus. Radio ipod and mp3 controls built into steering wheel i found really handy. It also came with aircon which worked really well. Over all was really happy with the car and would definatly buy another one.

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Good for daytime driving and low mileage trips, poor for anyone spending a lot of time in the car

I currently have a brand-new Renault Megane Sport Tourer (the new mk3 2009-onwards model). I've been driving it a couple of months now and I honestly think this is the best-looking estate car on the market. The majority of estate cars look like they've been designed in someone's coffee break by a trainee and just appear to have an extra box welded onto the end of the car. This, however, is superbly designed to look like a more of a elongated hatchback and actually makes the regular hatchback version look like it's missing a part.

It's a very striking looking car and looks very bulky and well built with a high-rise bonnet and thick, chunky door guards. The rear lights on the estate version look far better than the hatchback ones as well with slightly less white colourings. The front headlights are also very smart looking and blend high up into the side of the bonnet rather well. Colour coded wing mirrors with the integrated indicator finish off what is a very stylish and sporty looking car.

The good looks and high quality craftsmanship can only continue inside of the car, right? Wrong. The interior really lets the car down; it has a overly cheap feeling about it with extremely poor quality plastics used and ugly sweeping lines all over the place. The integrated sat-nav that you get on certain models does not close down into the dashboard even though it's designed to make it look like it does. The dials/speedometer are quite smart looking during daylight hours however at night they are so bright with the white backlight that you have to turn the backlight down so much that it just becomes a grey dim light - so if for example you are driving on a motorway in the day when it's raining and need your sidelights on, it'll be impossible to see the dials.

Another annoying thing about the dials is that as soon as you stop the engine, the dials revert back to their daylight setting so if you stop at night for a drink or a rest in the car, you've got the bright lights blinding you directly in front of you; with absolutely no way of turning them off unless you sit there with your headlights ON and your engine OFF.

The controls for the electric windows are so close together that you're almost guaranteed to press the rear window when you want to open the driver's window. Also, the button for the cruise control is down by the handbrake with adjustments on the steering wheel, which is awkward to find unless you take your eyes off the road. If you set the cruise control at 50 when going through road works for example, you can't hold down the speed adjustor button to make it increase to 70 in 5mph or 10mph increments, you have to press it 20 times to get it to the desired speed.

One other annoying niggle worth mentioning is the heaters; if you put the blowers directed towards the windscreen the air-conditioning automatically comes on every time you start the car so you can be driving for miles before you notice.

I also absolutely despise the 'keycard' you get with the vehicle - I really can't see why it has to be so big and bulky. I do like the idea of being able to walk away from your car and it locks, but surely the key doesn't need to be the size of a beermat?

The steering is very unresponsive and very loose so driving on country roads isn't exactly a pleasure. The suspension is also not the best I've ever experienced as it doesn't take speed bumps or potholes particularly comfortably.

To sum up, it's a very good looking car; particularly the estate version. But the interior is an absolute nightmare. If you can forgive the many annoying parts that come with having this car, I'm sure you learn to love it.

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It's not a Ford Focus even though it tries.

So i've had my 1.4 Renault Megane Extreme since October 2007 which comes as quite a shock to me. I had believed that by this stage one of two things would have happened to it. Either it would have been driven into a river, or Renault would have taken ownership of it since they have had it for more time than I.

The car itself is a three door hatchback with a 1.4 litre engine. Front electric windows, airbags, alloy wheels,ABS and most curiously a 60 watt stereo radio cassette. It does come with an iPod connection but you have to wonder about the mentality of a car manufacturer putting a tape deck in a car. You can of course upgrade for additional cash but my advice is if you have an iPod, then don't bother. But on that point comes the first of my warnings. When picking the car up, take your iPod with you to ensure it works. This was the cause of the first of my trips when the software had to be reset.

Boot space is excellent, you could argue there is too much, but this is probably a result of the styling of the rear, in particular the rather large posterior. Any Megane driver can therefore claim that they have a lot of junk in the trunk with this car.

Interiors are pretty poor. Plastic everywhere and a handbrake which after twelve months looks terrible. The plastic coating shreds off leaving the most unsightly mess. No keys with this car, just a card which in 2007 was cool, but everyones got them now. And this leads me to the second problem I had. Or was it the third. Anyway the card dock was not correctly assembled meaning the card was loose. This meant that if I hit a bump in the road, card moved out and the engine shut down. Fun. Also problems relating to electrics on Meganes are legendary. At some stage every Megane driver will experience this problem, usually faulty coils and another trip to the dealership will follow.

Rear seat space is adequate for persons of average size. Anyone above 6ft does not want to be in there long term. It has a maximum speed of 114mph coming from 98bhp. Insurance is low as are emissions and fuel consumption is good.

Three years on though, there has been power loss, noises from the engine which are still unexplained, and it goes through tires and brakes like you wouldn't believe. I wouldn't consider myself an aggressive driver but this car is driving me mad. Bearing in mind it is in the same class as the Focus, it really does little to beat the old reliable Ford.

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2 stars

We bought a Renault Megane about 2 and a half years ago and have recently part exed it and upgraded to a Citroen C4. I feel I now have had enough experience with the Megane to be able to write a fair review about it.

The car we opted for at the time was an 05 version of the Megane in black and it suited us perfectly as it was larger than the Punto we previously had, and was able to accomodate our family of four perfectly well. In comparison to the Punto, this car was lovely to drive and we were happy with it for a few months, but we soon started to see it's faults. The main gripe we had with the car and the reason why in the end it had to go, was the fuel consumption. £10 worth of fuel would last me perhaps 70 miles on a good day and at only a 1.4, I thought this was just ridiculous. Before the kids came along we had a two seater MG, and the Megane was on parr with the fuel consumption of the sports car!

The car itself was nice to drive and performed well when it needed to despite it only being a 1.4. I found that it felt quite a heavy car at times, and although it would move when you pulled out of junctions quickly, it seemed to have problems in fifth gear at times.

The styling of the car in my opinion, was spot on, although this particular model is getting on a bit now, I still don't think they look old at all. Because we had the black version, when it was clean it often reminded me of the 'batmobile'! Lol, in Carly world anyway! The particular model we had had spotlights, electric windows, CD player, and a paddle to adjust the volume and skip music (at the side of the steering wheel).

Storage in the car was excellent with lots of hidey holes all over the place. I often found myself trying to find things to fill them as there were so many! The ones I liked in particular were hidden compartments in the foot wells of both the passenger and drivers side. They were deep enough to be able to hold 4 or 5 CDs and were excellent storage spaces.

While I can't comment on general faults of Meganes as this is the only one we have owned, I can tell you of the many faults we had in the two years we had it. We probably spent around £1,500 on repairing the car, on top of the £5,500 it cost us to buy it. The first thing that went seriously wrong with it was the hand brake. Pulling up to work one day I tried to pull the handbrake on and it just wouldn't stick. In the end I had to park it in gear and hope for the best, before swiftly taking it to the garage that evening. For those of you that haven't driven a Renault before, the handbrakes are different to the usual stick ones, and are difficult to describe but basically are two levers parallel to each other with a handle at the end with the usual release button. When I took this to Kwik Fit to get repaired, I was told it was going to be an expensive job as the part had to come from Renault and were exensive. In the end this cost us £240 for the parts and labour. One month later, the MOT was due, nothing else can go wrong we thought. Wrong.... The Mot failed as part of the axel had snapped along with a few other things, this cost us £604 and I actually cried!

I won't go into all the other faults we have had with it as there has been lots of little things, but the one thing I do want to tell you about it when the bulbs need changing. My front passenger indicator kept blowing, and when I took it to Halfords to buy a bulb and asked for them to fit it, they told me they were unable to do this as the whole bumper has to come off to get to the bulb. This in my opinion is absolutely ridiculous and should be something that can be done at home with a little know how. My husband is quite handy, but even he couldn't get the bumper off, and again we had to take it to the garage for them to simply change a lightbulb. This happened 3 times in 18 months, so makes me wonder if this was some kind of electrical fault.

All in all, this was a decent car, but it just wasn't very reliable or cost effective. I rack up quite a few miles each year, probably about 18,000 and I need a reliable car. I'm afraid this wasn't one, and I couldn't recommend it to someone who was going to be exceeding the average mileage per year.

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After a cheap run around, take a look.

This car is a good, well made reliable car that is great if thats all you require from a car. The rear of the car however does stick out and is not to everyones taste as it does make it look frumpy and uncool. This is not a car that suits those who want a sporty exciting car but more for those who put reliability infront of looks and are more bothered about cost than perfomance. It is cheap for insurance and road tax and gets great miles to the gallon but at the end of all that it is not a car that will excite many. Boring is a word I would use but its quite round curved design does make it stand out from other cars and it is very nice and very practical and spacious. In my opinion more of a womans car than a mans it makes the perfect reliable run around for anyone.

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not the worst car but not the best

Having always owned volkswagen cars i was really surprised that i liked the renault megane in the showroom. It has some great gadgets which as a great bonus, such as Air con, stereo controls on steering wheel, electric windows and mirrors. The information panel on dashboard is excellent telling you everything from petrol consumption to oil levels and tyre presssure. Most importantly as a mother of two children it has lots of compartments for storage and plenty of room in the back for the kids and their clutter. Boot is even bigger than in my vw golf although because of the shaped bottom the entrance to the boot is narrower which can make getting the larger prams harder to put in even though there is plenty of room once you do.It drives well, nippy and comfortable on the motorway but i do find the clutch rather stiff which means i sometimes have to concentrate on obtaining a smooth ride in traffic rather than it being second nature and this for me ruins this car, as living in London i am always in traffic.Bought this car when it was four years old and had car a year and have already been in the garage a few times. Air con leak, sensor failure, coil pack misfire so have probably lost confidence in reliability, partly because of the mechanics disapproval of renaults.I am however happy with this car but i dont love it as much as my vw golf. That feels much better made, feeling sturdy and drives well. But you would have to pay a lot more for a vw equivilant.The main plus point for this car and my main deciding factor when purchasing was its NCAP 5 star rating which has to be more important than any gadget.

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Would definitely recommend getting a Megane

I have just been reading the reviews of the Megane and noted that someone has explained they don't feel it is great for tall people. I am tiny (5 foot!) and share a Megane with my partner (6 foot tall!) and we both agree that it is perfect!

Being so small, I struggle sometimes to find a car which I am really comfortable driving. Until getting the Megane, I drove a Golf and to be honest, expected to buy another. Then I test drove the Megane and really, really liked it. The seating is perfect for someone small, I have excellent views from all windows and feel so comfortable in the driving seat. We have had it for over a year now (the diesel version which is also economical and still a lot of fun to drive) and are still very happy with our purchase. The driving positions are obviously adjustable and this makes it comfortable for us both, it is easy to drive and feels both sporty and safe. And let's face it, it looks very cute too!

We have had no issues with it, it is extremely reliable and we love driving it - I would definitely recommend looking at one of these if you are considering buying a car, especially if, like me, you are slightly vertically challenged!